THANK GOODNESS THAT`S OVER...

And so another Premier League season comes to an end and for us Saints fans it has been a season to forget - almost.   Just a month or so ago I was convinced that we were heading for relegation having endured a dreadful run of results, languishing close to the foot of the table and with an air of despondency and almost resigned acceptance surrounding the club and its supporters.

And then, at long last, the arrival of former Saints player Mark Hughes and his managerial backroom team began to have an impact.  The team became more organised, more determined, more energised and a string of encouraging displays gave the faintest glimmer of hope that survival might still be possible.  

The turning point was the scrappy victory last Tuesday evening away at Swansea which left Saints needing to avoid a catastrophic defeat to Manchester City (and Swansea to win their last game) to guarantee at least one more season in the Cinderella world of the Premier League.  

Yesterday, Swansea duly lost their game with Stoke and, true to form, Saints held out until the fourth minute of added time before conceding the goal which gave the points to City.  And so  my bum has stopped squeaking and the Saints live to fight another day.  But thank goodness that`s all over and the respite of Summer has arrived.